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5 Pre-Diabetes Symptoms You Must Know

Prediabetes is a condition when someone is not diagnosed with diabetes but has symptoms of diabetes. Here are some of the symptoms which can help you determine prediabetes.

By: DoctorNDTV Updated: Nov 13, 2018 05:14 IST

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Prediabetes is when your blood glucose level is not high enough to be considered as diabetes

HIGHLIGHTS

High blood sugar and insulin level in body may lead to diabetes

Gout, thick skin and blurry vision are some symptoms of prediabetes

Body needs more fluid when blood glucose levels are high

Prediabetes is when your blood glucose level is higher than it should be but is not high enough to be considered as diabetes. Prediabetes is the pre-diagnosis of diabetes. Diabetes occurs gradually when there is an elevation of blood sugar and insulin levels in your body. Problems arise whenever the glucose level is high for a longer period of time and this happens because pancreas are unable to make enough insulin. If you do not make certain significant changes in your lifestyle, prediabetes can precede into type 2 diabetes. To ward off the disease you need to alter your diet, the kind of physical activities you are doing and how you maintain your weight. Even though the exact reason of prediabetes is unrecognized, genes, family history, poor food diet and stressful lifestyle, are believed to be some of the risk factors.

Apart from symptoms like gout: a form of arthritis that forms when uric acid builds up in your body. Other symptoms include thicker skin, blurry vision and weight loss despite eating a lot.

It is fine when you feel tired after a long day at work, but it is certainly not fine when you are feeling tired and exhausted all the time, even while working. If you are struggling to get through the day, feeling draggy and drowsy then you need to worry. One of the reasons why it is happening is because of sugar, which is lingering in your bloodstream and not going into your cells where it needs to go and channelize the energy properly.

Along with factors like stress, medication, and genetics, hair loss is also related to a number of problems, insulin resistance being one of them. Insulin resistance is an indication of prediabetes and types 2 diabetes. If you are losing hair unnaturally, then you need to get your blood sugar level checked. Elevation of blood sugar level is due to the insulin resistance which means that the sugar is not able to move properly into the cells.

Hair loss is related to the problems of insulin

3. Patches on your skin

According to studies, patches of reddish, brownish, or yellowish skin known as necrobiosis lipidic, are spotted if you are prediabetic. Many dermatologists say that your skin may have a shiny, scaly itchy appearance, and visibility of blood vessels. Check out for dark, velvety patches on the skin as well -- this indicates that you have too much insulin in your blood.

It is true that you need more fluid when blood glucose is high but drinking excessive water can be harmful. One of the important symptoms of prediabetes is that you are not only drinking water to quench your thirst, but also when you are full. Drinking water is a healthy solution to reduce the impact of high blood sugar but drinking too much of it might not be the best thing to do.

You tend to drink more water if you are pre-diabeticPhoto Credit: iStock

Continuing for point 4, since you drink more water, you tend to go to the washroom more for urinating. You tend to overlook this factor because you think this is happening due to over drinking of water. But you need to keep an eye on the number of times you are going to the loo because a lot of the times your body loses more water than what you drink. It is extremely important to keep a check on the color, odor, and your urinatory cycle. If you think it unnatural, then you need to see a doctor immediately.

Excessive drinking of water lead you to urinate more

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

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